Electric circuit unit



Feb. 15, 1949. 'R. 1%. ROUP 2,461,658

ELECTRIC CIRCUIT UNIT Filed April 19, 1946 (u :II...

Ii 42 IIIII IIII I INVENTOR. EOLZfiA fl 5. E001 fiatented Feb. 15, 194

ELECTRIC CIRCUIT UNIT Rolland R. Roup,

Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Globe-Union Inc., Milwaukee, Wis., acorporation of Delaware Application April 19, 1946, Serial No. 663,373

7 Claims. (Cl. 250-16) ihis invention relates to improvements in unitarysub-assemblies for electrical devices and particularly to an electronictube socket havingcombined therewith an electric circuit componentproviding one or more electric circuit elements to be employed with theelectronic tube to be mounted in the socket.

It is accordingly one object of the present invention to provide asub-assembly or unit device including in one structure a plurality ofthe elements heretofore employed as separate units in an electricaldevice.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electronic circuitsub-assembly or unit including an electronic tube socket and an electriccircuit component bearing one or more of the circuit elements to bedirectly associated with the tube in the circuit.

A further object of the invention is to provide an electronic tubesocket in which a component providing one or more of electrical circuitelements may be so placed as to cooperate with the tube prongs informing a portion of an electric circuit.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electronic tube socketcombined with an elec-l tric circuit component providing capacitance,re-

sistance, reactance or any combinations thereof in such manner thatplacing the tube in the socket and making the usual connections with thesocket also connects the circuit elements in the circuit.

And a further object Of the invention is to provide a simple and easilymanufactured electronic tube socket combined with other electroniccircuit elements combined into a, single circuit component and which maybe readily varied as desired during manufacture but which arepermanently retained in the assembled or combined condition during use.

Objects and advantages other than those above set forth will be apparentfrom the following description when read in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an electronic tube socket combined with anelectric circuit cornponent comprising one or more electric circuitelements;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the insulating material portion of anelectronic tube socket showing the formation thereof to receive anelectronic circuit component;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of means applied to the socket insulator andserving both as a socket holder and to aid in retaining an electricalcircuit component in the socket structure;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of an electric circuit component providing acapacitor to be combined with the tube socket;

Fig. 8 is an edge view of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of an electric circuit component including acapacitor and a resistor as the circuit elements to be combined with thetube" socket;

Fig. 10 is an edge elevation of Fig. 9; and

Fig. 11 is a partial elevational view of the present combined structureand is partially in section to show the lower portion of one of severalapertures in the tube socket for receiving a tube prong clip andterminal.

Generally, the combined structure provides an electronic tube sockethaving an insulating material portion formed with a plurality of tubeprong apertures therethrough receiving prong clips and having terminalstherefrom and with a conductive material ring about the insulatingsocket portion to serve as a holder for the socket. A notch is formed inthe insulating socket portion in one or more locations to provide acavity receiving an electric circuit component to which contact is to bemade from a prong of a tube inserted in the socket or from the prongclip within the socket and to which contact may also be made by themounting ring exteriorly of the socket insulating portion or by anotherexterior conductive connection. The electric circuit component is soshaped as to be received in the notch and retained therein permanentlymerely as a result of assembly of the combined structure. The electriccircuit component may provide the electric circuit elements ofcapacitance, resistance, or reactance, or any combination thereof andsuch elements may be connected in any desired manner.

Referring particularly to the drawings, an insulating material socketportion I5, preferably of ceramic material such as steatite is shapedsubstantially as a cylinder with partial exterior flanges i'Eapproximately midway of the axial length of the cylinder. The cylinderI5 is formed with a central and substantially conical aperture H andwith a series of apertures l8 arranged about aperture l1 and extendingfrom one end of the cylinder substantially therethrough. Grooves in thewall of apertures I8 continue as rectangular apertures 19 extendingthrough the bottom of the apertures l8 so that apertures l8, i9 areadapted to receive a well known type of tube prong clip with a terminallug to extend outwardly from the cylinder as is well known.

One or more notches generally designated are formed in the cylinderinsulating socket portion I5 and are severally adjacent the prong clipapertures. Each of such notches extends from a side surface of theinsulator into one of the apertures Hi, to provide access to the notchfrom within such aperture and through the notch itself. The notch isgenerally V-shaped with the notch side 26 provided with ledges 27 soplaced that a circuit component (to be described hereinafter) may restagainst the ledges witha portion of the surface of the component forminga chord of the circular wall of the aperture i8, In the axialdimensionof the socket the notch extends only for a portion of the depthof aperture lfi to provide a floor on which the circuit component rests.Adjacent ,the'open end of the notch, the notch side walls 26 areseverally formed withprojections 28 so placed as to extend over thecircuit component andprevent axial movement thereof from the notch whenthe entire combination is completed. It willbe apparent that the notchneed not be open ended as shown but may take the form of a V-shapedaperture or other forms, thus eliminating the need for the projections28.

The electric circuit component is formed as a plate-like membergenerallydesignated 32, to be inserted in the notch as shown in Figs. 1 and 11and is formed as shown in Figs. 7, 8 or 9, 10. The electrical circuitcomponent comprises a plate 33 of high quality insulating or, dielectricmaterial and'is preferably a ceramic such as steatite, of such size asto fit closely in the notch when resting on the notch ledges 2i and tofit closely beheath the notch side Wall projections 28. Such plate hasformed thereon, as by coating, one or inore electrical circuitelements,the elements desig riated 3 4 and 35 being a conductive material(indicated in the drawing by close verticallines) 't o f orm theconductive plates of a capacitor separate d by the dielectric 33. Thedielectric may :als'obe provided with one or more resistance strips 36(indicated in the drawing by stippling) also preferably formed as acoating on the surface of the ihslilating or dielectric member 33 andcon- "necting thetwocap'acitor plates 3 35, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10.When the circuit component is placed in'the 'n'otch as above described,it will be apparent that one of the capacitor plates or 35 will contact-with the prong clipin the apertu'ife' l8 or'dir'ectly with a prongwhich'may be made resilient as b'yjsplitting and spreading the ends of'the prong. When the combined capacitor-resistor component, "as shown inFigsjS) and 10, is used, the capacitance and resistance are in parallelbut obviously may be arranged in series ifdesired. It will'be understoodthat the conductive coating may also take the form of a reactance coiland that various combinations of flange l6 and is provided with'tabs 43to be bent over to fixthe ring on the flange 56. The ring may also beformed with or without lugs! and cars 45 which may serve either formounting the combination structure oras circuit element terminals or forboth purposes. A finger B6 is struck from that portion of the ring whichwill be opposite the notch 25 in the completed structure and such fingeris adapted to be bent into the notch into contact with one of thecircuit elements of the circuit component 32. It will be understood thatthe several circuit elements may be arranged as required by the circuitand that the finger 46 is then brought "into contact with either of thecircuit'elements" as required-to cdmpiete' the circuit. It is preferredthat the finger 46 be resilient but in any case the finger is ofsufficient size and presses on one electric circuit element withsufficie'nt iorceto keep the circuit component 32 under the projections28 and to provide electrical contact. It will also be understood thatthe circuit component mayberetained in its seated position by othermeans such as an insulating block fitting in the notchbeneath the ringand that connections may be made to the circuit elements through thenotch by other means than the finger 45 shown.

Although but one embodiment of the present invention has beenillustrated and designated herein, it wili be apparent to thoseskilledinthe art that various changes and modifications-may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention or the scope of theappendedclaims.

I claim:

1. In a unitary sub-assembly for'electrical devices, a tube sockethaving a circular aperture therethrough and a notch communicating withof said socket communicating with said aperture, an electric circuitcomponent mounted in said notch adjacent said aperture to contact saidtube prong, and means retaining said component itsmoimted position andproviding electrical contact with said component.

3. In a unit for electrical devices, a tube socket having an aperturetherethrough adapted to receive a tube prong, a notch in said socketextending from the periphery thereof to said aperture, an electriccircuit componentmounted within said notch adjacent said aperture tocontact said tube prong, and means retaining said component in itsmounted position.

4. In a unit for electrical devices, -a tube socket having an aperturetherethrough adapted to receive a tube prong, a notch in the peripheryof said socket communicating with said aperture, said notch being ofsmaller cross-section adjacent'said aperture, an electric circuitcomponent in said notch adjacent said aperture to contact "said tubeprong, and means holding said component in said notch against thereduced cross-section portion thereof.

5. In a unit for electrical devices, a tube so ket having an aperturetherethroughadapted to receive a tube prong, a notch inthe periphery ofsaid socket communicating with said aperture, and an electric circuitcomponentinsaid notch adjacent said aperture in a prong contactingposition, means cooperating with said notchfor preventing movement ofsaid component intosaid aperture beyond the prong contacting position,and means retaining said component against said cooperating means.

6. In a unit for electrical devices, a tube socket having an aperturetherethrough adapted to receive a tube prong, a notch in the peripheryof said socket communicating with said aperture, an electric circuitcomponent mounted in said notch adjacent said aperture to contact saidtube prong, and a metallic ring fixed on said socket and having a fingerextending into said notch and bearing against said component to retainsaid component in said notch and in contact with said prong.

7. In a unit for electrical devices, a tube socket having an aperturetherethrough adapted to receive a tube prong, a notch in the peripheryof said socket communicating with said aperture,

ROLLAND R. ROUP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,703,651 Alden Feb. 26, 19291,825,534 Mavrogenis Sept. 29, 1931 1,973,248 Evans Sept. 11, 1934

